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Alternative Format for EJGE?
It has been suggested that EJGE use the PDF (Portable Document Format or "Acrobat") format for presenting its articles. Currently, the EJGE uses the basic HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) version 3.2, which is the current (1997) standard approved by the World Wide Web Consortium. The Acrobat format is a proprietry format developed by the Adobe company, the developers of many fonts as well as the Postscript page description language that is used in some laser printers and typesetters.
The primary advantage of PDF is that the presentation looks good on printed paper, when printed on a high quality printer. The screen view depends on the resolution of your monitor and the equipment that drives it, but it is arguably the best you can get from your computer. Several online publications use PDF. If the text will be printed for sure, and if you are insisting that the printout should look like conventional printing press output, then PDF seems to be a good alternative.
On the other hand, there are many factors to consider before jumping into this...
Disadvantages of PDF are many, according to the critics of PDF:
- The technology is proprietry.
We are at the merci of Adobe. Indeed, if history is any indication, this is not a good idea. - HTML is free.
Web browsers (both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft IE) know how to handle HTML. Everybody has access to all the features we use in EJGE articles. No one is left out. - You need special software
In order to see an article done in PDF format you need a special "add on" to your browser: Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is currently free to get a copy from Adobe's Web site (www.adobe.com), but someone has to pay: the Adobe software required to convert the documents to PDF format is not free. - Someone has to pay
The software we need to convert our articles to PDF format, Adobe distiller, etc., cost a great deal of money. EJGE has to acquire software -- that is only available from Adobe, and train people to use it. If all the cost of the EJGE is paid by the readers, this can be done. - You need a powerful computer
The computer hardware requirements at the user's end can be prohibitive for great many readers. Unless you have a computer that has at least a Pentium CPU, tons of RAM, gig's of hard disk space, a huge monitor, etc., to read an article on screen can be a nightmare. And unless you have the top-of-the-line laser printer, your printout will still be mediocre.
All these factors make the editors of the EJGE wait and see. We will see, if/when it becomes worthwhile to give this alternative format.
In the mean time, please see examples in PDF format to make your own judgment on this -- and please let us know what you think.
